Heroes wanted

Doruman was the last to enter the elders' meeting hut. He pushed aside the bead curtain decisively and strode across the small space, easily skirting the firepit to take his place at the head of the group. Ivy, the youngest of the group and the only non-human, was still amazed by how easily the aged and blind man moved. Diane, the third and final elder, had chaffed under the rigid old man's lead for too long and only found disrespect in his persistent tardiness; if she or Ivy had been late they would have felt the stiff lash of his ascerbic tongue. As it was the old man did not even offer an apology or even an explanation for the delay.

Ivy smiled kindly at Doruman. With her patient stillness and sharp elven features edged viridian she looked not unlike an exquisitely carved statue just starting to take on moss. Diane by contrast, red in robes, hair and ornamentation, was more like the fire in the pit; dancing in place, barely containing furious energy and destructive power.

Doruman, blindfolded and decorated with dozens of necklaces of shell and stone, finally broke the silence. He had a knack for extending it just long enough to remind Diane who was in charge.

"We already know this Summer will bring with it the Walk of the Blooded Trees. I now know that this will coincide with the Rise of the Drowned."

Diane's sneer dropped. For once the blind seer had understated his words. They had known for some time the Walk was coming. That is why Ivy had been invited to join their council when Halvor had vanished, so that she could bring her Elven knowledge to bear. Ivy frowned but didn't otherwise react. She was only two hundred years old and had never experienced or heard of the Rise before.

Diane saw the elf's expression and added, "All of those who have perished at sea, every sailor that drowned or was slain by pirates, every soul that has fallen from the cliffs: once every few centuries they all rise again, taking to the shores to seek revenge on their living brethren. The longer between Rises the worse they strike. It has been over four hundred years since the last Rise and there are probably thousands of Drowned waiting to wreak havoc on the breathing world. The last Rise destroyed our town and many of the other coastal towns, and they didn't have the Walk to contend with."

Ivy blinked, swallowed. "What are we going to do? With all the disappearances we are already struggling! Our preparations for the Walk are incomplete. How are we going to cope with the Rise too?"

"We will send to Gavony for help," Doruman replied. "We cannot spare our own people so we shall have to ask for volunteers. Or, more specifically, we will pick out those with the ability to aid us, and request strongly that they volunteer."

"Do they have time to sail?" Diane asked.

"No," Doruman replied. "They will have to journey across land and face every peril there is to offer."

Game Type and Setting
DnD 3.5 game with some horror elements, set in a dark fantasy world inspired by the Innistrad Magic the Gathering sets.

Game Master
Little ol' me.

Game Explanation
The game starts in the quiet fishing town of Redfil. The town wisefolk have divined that the regular but infrequent Rise of the Drowned is set to coincide with the more frequent Walk of the Blooded Trees. The player characters have been asked to travel to Gavony and request help. The journey by road is long and dangerous and it requires those with skill and bravery to match.

Travelling to Gavony is where the journey starts. Dealing, or failing to deal, with the dual Rise and Walk is where the first chapter ends.

Notes:
Your characters need not be local just as long as they have a reason to help. (Yes, they will be paid :-) )
Redfil, like every other settlement suffers from random disappearances. In the last few months however these have worsened. There is a curfew and no-one is permitted to be alone outside at any time of day.
Your characters, even at level 2, are among the top 10% or so in the town, power-wise. Similarly elsewhere in the world. The vast, vast majority of folk are 1st level NPCs. There will be others around with mojo but they are a rarity (of course in game it won't feel like that necessarily because of who you end up interacting with...)

Application Process
Please fit the following into your application:
* Character bio (name, age, race, description, background, personality)
* Role in party (class + anything else you think is relevant such as feats or plans for progression)
* Why your character would be asked for help and why they said yes (or perhaps it's not that straight-forward...)

Feel free to put parts of your app in private tags if you want to keep any secrets.

Application will be open for two weeks and I am looking to take approx. 4 players. Applications go in the game forum, questions can be asked here or in the forum.

I'm looking for interesting characters that fit into the mood of the setting, combined with coherent writing.

Any additional information or requirements
I am open to new players and new 'Weavers. As I'm trying to diversify my player base I will be prioritising the apps of players I am not already GMing for.

Posting rate: I'm looking for a commitment to three times a week. I normally post Monday, Weds-Friday and at the weekend depending on what's going on.

Notes on wealth, loot and progression:
I am intending for the characters to advance fast by PbP standards. Expect your characters to level up. This tends to be rarity in PbP games so be prepared :-) I also intend to give out rewards and bonuses beyond XP such as bonus feats. I'm not going to tell you what these are in advance. If you don't like surprises and don't like your characters to be boosted beyond the rules this likely isn't the game for you.

Partially because the advancement rates will outstrip actual encounters and partially due to the nature of the setting, you shouldn't expect to follow WBL. Neither should you expect to be able to find and purchase particular expensive or magical items. This shouldn't be an issue just don't base your concept on getting your hands on particular items - unless of course you can make them yourself!

Game Description:

The game starts in the quiet fishing town of Redfil. The town wisefolk have divined that the regular but infrequent Rise of the Drowned is set to coincide with the more frequent Walk of the Blooded Trees. The player characters have been asked to travel to Gavony and request help. The journey by road is long and dangerous and it requires those with skill and bravery to match.

Travelling to Gavony is where the journey starts. Dealing, or failing to deal, with the dual Rise and Walk is where the first chapter ends.

I've updated the game ad to show that there are no alignment restrictions.

Orcs are core and LA +0, so there is no mechanical reason you can't play one. However, justifying their presence and even acceptance in the town could be tricky. This isn't a particularly enlightened world, there is a lot of prejudice to overcome.